According to Naval News, the Estonian authorities confirmed that the missile had reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC). Estonia will use the missiles from land platforms as it does not possess a platform supporting the missile.
Blue Spear is a development of Gabriel anti-ship missile from Proteus, a joint venture between Israel and Singapore. The missile will be used by the Singaporean Formidable-class frigates.
The missile has GPS+INS guidance with a terminal RF seeker and covers a range of 290 km. In addition to its intended role as an anti-ship missile, Blue Spear can be used against land targets with GPS targeting.
Estonia’s procurement of the missiles is part of a strategy, as shown by the officials, to limit Russia’s access to the Baltic Sea. Combined with naval mines, the missile is envisioned as a maritime deterrent to Russia in the region.
Land-based anti-ship missiles have been among the weapon systems to get a spotlight during the Russo-Ukrainian War, where Ukraine managed to sink the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Moskva cruiser, using locally developed Neptune anti-ship missiles.
